September 12, 2024

KCRW, one of the country’s most innovative public radio stations, proudly announces its collaboration with Placement Theory, a new production company founded by Brian Reed (S-Town, The Trojan Horse Affair, This American Life) and Robyn Semien (This American Life). Together, they debut Question Everything, a provocative new podcast that will challenge how we understand and engage with journalism today. This partnership marks a significant moment for independent journalism, showcasing KCRW’s dedication to fostering critical voices and innovative storytelling.

Question Everything was sparked after Reed got a call from his lawyer in 2018, saying, “Congratulations, you’ve been sued.” It was about Reed’s enormously popular, Peabody-award winning podcast S-Town. The lawsuit claimed that S-Town was not actually journalism, which meant that Reed had to spend years proving that it was. 

Reed found himself, a decade into his career as a journalist, consumed by the question, “What is journalism?” Like a baker wondering, “What is bread?” 

"I started realizing that behind so many of the problems we’re struggling with, as a country, there is a fight about journalism. What it is. How it should be done. Who should get to do it,” says Reed. “People don’t agree what journalism is. And it’s tearing us apart.” 

“We see our show as a bright spot that will use the storytelling skills we’ve honed over many years to demonstrate the stakes and consequences of the news we ingest and often take for granted,” adds Semien. “Question Everything will be an ongoing conversation with our peers and importantly with the public about how to do this work better.” 

Question Everything will use the tools of journalism to re-examine journalism. It’ll take listeners to a small-town courtroom where local publishers face prosecution, host candid “anti-panels” with journalists sharing off-the-record stories you won’t hear anywhere else, and air personal interviews with reporters who’ve quit out of frustration or been haunted by stories from their past. The show will spotlight insights and stories from non-journalists too: citizens who desperately want trustworthy information, but aren’t sure where to find it. 

Reed will also reflect upon his own career. He’ll meet with mentors, colleagues, sources, and tough critics – like, in the first episode, when Reed sits down with an esteemed journalist who found his work in S-Town “morally indefensible”. 

"Question Everything is not just another podcast; it confronts problems facing journalism that we have talked about for years with boldness and fresh eyes, in ways that I believe can really push the industry forward to serve our democracy better,” says Arnie Seipel, Chief Content Officer at KCRW. “Brian and Robyn and their team at Placement Theory embody the independent lens and critical curiosity that’s inherent in KCRW’s storytelling. They are the team that will help us understand how we got to this current state of journalism and what we do about it.“ 

Similar to programs such as This American Life, Serial, and Radiolab, which began and grew at local public radio stations, the partnership between KCRW and Placement Theory marks the launch of a new, independent reporting outfit with national scope. 

“Question Everything” is now available on all podcast platforms and will release new episodes every other Thursday. Sponsorship is exclusively available through Soundrise.